Belarus
Overview Belarus, officially the Grand Duchy of Belarus, is a'' de jure'' Constitutional Monarchy (de facto Federal Constitutional Republic), in Eastern Europe, and consists of the former Republic of Belarus (1991-2016), the Republic of Lithuania (1990-2034), and the Republic of Estonia (1991-2029). 'Politics & Government' Belarus operates on a Federal Semi-Presidential system framework laid out by the Constitution. The Executive branch is headed by both the Chancellor (head of state) and the Prime Minister (head of government), both serving 5 years with a limit of two terms. The derivation 'Constitutional Monarchy' comes from the office of the Archduke, a non-executive, ceremonial monarch, who acts partly as a political advisor, but has no applicable executive, legislative, or judicial power. The legislative branch consists of the Chamber of Advocates. Advocates are representatives in the chamber, elected from each Federal Oblast. The higher population an Oblast has, the more repersentation they have in the chamber (in terms of Advocates). The judicial branch is headed by the Principal Council and is often called the principal branch accordingly. The council consists of Chairmen/women who serve terms of 3 years and may serve 3 terms, and is headed by the Head Chairman. The following are a list of Chairman/women represented in the council: * Chairmen of Defense- (twenty-five) *Chairmen of Commerce (ten) *Chairmen of Agriculture (ten) *Chairman of Tourism - (five) *Chairmen of Labor (ten) *Chairmen of Education (fifteen) *Chairmen of Social Services (eight) *Chairmen of Justice (ten) *Chairmen of Transportation (six) *Head Chairman Belarus is divided into six administrative Federal districts (excluding the city of Minsk), known as Oblasts. Each Oblast has it's own respective parliament, able to pass laws, so long as they are in accordance with the Constitution, and Federal laws. Federal laws are existing laws selected by the Chancellor that govern universally. In other words, a law is made into a Federal law by the Chancellor when he/she declares that it applies throughout the nation, in which Federal legislatures cannot pass legislation deeming them void. Each Oblast's legislature is headed by the Premier, elected every 4 years, and may serve two terms. 'Economy' Since Belarus' independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and reformation as the New Order of Belarus in 2016, its economy has seen alterations from Soviet age Communism, Laissez-faire Capitalism, to social democracy. In it's current state under Chancellor Alexander Paviel, the economy remains to be a mixed one with leanings toward free market Capitalism. Belarus' main exports consist of metals, both ores and refined. Belarus is the second highest producer of titanum and titanium alloys, the first being China. Belarus also produces and exports agricultural equipment, namely tractors, and other machinery such as harvesters and cultivators. In recent years, Belarus has begun to foster a rapidly growing arms market, and has spawned many arms contractors such as Darja Military Industries and Kiralya Arms. __FORCETOC__ 'Statistics' Capital (and largest city): Minsk Second largest city: Gomel Official languages: Belarusian, Polish, Russian (Ukranian in Brest and Gomel, Lithuanian in Vitebsk) Ethnic groups: 88.5% Belarusian, 6.3% Polish, 3% Russian, 2% Ukrainian, 0.2% other Demonym: Belarusian, Byelorussian Area: 175,678 sq mi Population: 33,889,065 (2040 census), 34,009,775 (2042 estimate) GDP: $1.105 trillion USD, 872.95 billion Rubles (Euros) Per capita: $32500 Currency: Ruble (pegged w/ Euro) HDI: 0.889 (very high) Drives on the: right Category:Countries